fired back; firing back; fires back
: to answer someone quickly and usually angrily
After his statement, his opponents fired back.
—often used with atShe fired back at her critics.
: to utter as a quick and angry response
He fired back a comparable insult …—
Drew T. Brown III
Drew T. Brown IIIExamples of fireback in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
There’s also a cast iron fireback in the fireplace in the living room.
—Joanne Kempinger Demski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 26 May 2022
Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Draymond fired back on his podcast, and Rivers has since responded.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Other aldermen quickly fired back after Tabares’ speech, a prelude to potential disagreement ahead of the final vote later this month.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
Jeanine Pirro fired back, charging that the judge is giving preferential treatment to a heavily armed defendant who attempted to kill the president.
—Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2026
Meta is firing back at a January lawsuit that alleged WhatsApp never supported end-to-end encryption, arguing the plaintiff’s claims are unraveling.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 5 May 2026
Musk fires back at OpenAI attorney watch now Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.
—Lora Kolodny,matt Peterson, CNBC, 4 May 2026
Elon Musk repeatedly fired back at OpenAI’s lawyer in a tense cross-examination during the second day of a tech trial that could help define the future of artificial intelligence.
—Shanshan Dong, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
Hegseth fired back by questioning the congressman’s motives.
—Nik Popli, Time, 29 Apr. 2026
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Noun
The head was followed by bright yellowish-orange tail feathers, easily identifiable as the fireback.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
There’s also a cast iron fireback in the fireplace in the living room.
—Joanne Kempinger Demski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 26 May 2022
Verb
Smith, obviously, wasn't going to let that go without firing back.
—Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Draymond fired back on his podcast, and Rivers has since responded.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Other aldermen quickly fired back after Tabares’ speech, a prelude to potential disagreement ahead of the final vote later this month.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
Jeanine Pirro fired back, charging that the judge is giving preferential treatment to a heavily armed defendant who attempted to kill the president.
—Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2026
Meta is firing back at a January lawsuit that alleged WhatsApp never supported end-to-end encryption, arguing the plaintiff’s claims are unraveling.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 5 May 2026
Musk fires back at OpenAI attorney watch now Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.
—Lora Kolodny,matt Peterson, CNBC, 4 May 2026
Elon Musk repeatedly fired back at OpenAI’s lawyer in a tense cross-examination during the second day of a tech trial that could help define the future of artificial intelligence.
—Shanshan Dong, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
Hegseth fired back by questioning the congressman’s motives.
—Nik Popli, Time, 29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fireback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fireback. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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